滋賀、呼吸器外し事件再審

男性患者を殺害したとして、12年服役した元看護助手、西山美香さんの再審=retrialが行われ、無罪が確定しました。arrhythmia=不整脈で、自然死の可能性が極めて高かったとautopsy(検死)担当医師は述べています。

A Japanese court on acquitted a former assistant nurse(⇒nurse aide) who was convicted of murder and spent 12 years in prison after the 2003 death of a patient, saying at the conclusion of her retrial it is highly likely the man died of natural causes.  

※acquit無罪にする ⇔convict有罪にする

She was exonerated by the Otsu District Court, with Presiding Judge saying there was "no foul play" in the incident.

※exonerate=~の容疑を晴らす、~の潔白を証明する

※foul play=〔スポーツ競技などの〕反則、不正行為、殺人、他殺

72歳の昏睡状態の患者が亡くなった当初、警察は、業務上過失致死として捜査をしていました。

When 72-year-old comatose patient(⇒patient in a vegetative state) died in 2003, police initially investigated the case as professional negligence resulting in death, suspecting that nurses failed to notice the alarm going off from his respirator that indicates that the tube had been detached.

※go offアラーム等が鳴る、爆発する

※respirator=呼吸器

優秀な兄達に劣等感を持ち育った西山さんには軽度の知的障害があり、身の上話を聞いてくれた刑事を好きになり、相手の喜ぶような話し方をしてしまったといいます。のちに供述を撤回しますが、刑が確定しました。

Since she performed poorly at school, Nishiyama had an inferiority complex toward her two older brothers, who graduated from prestigious universities. “I had feelings for the police officer and I was desperate to get his attention.”

Nishiyama has a mild degree of intellectual disability and had romantic feelings toward a police officer who interrogated her.  She later retracted her confession, claiming it was coerced by interrogators.

※interrogate=(正式に、かつ組織的に)質問する、聞きただす、尋問する、取り調べを行う

誘導的な取り調べで、虚偽の自白を誘発した警察の捜査は強い非難に値します。

The police investigation, which induced a false confession apparently by taking advantage of Nishiyama’s nature and condition, deserves strong criticism.   

※induce=誘発する 誘導尋問はleading questionやloaded question

※loadedは質問や陳情が偏った、底意のある、含むところのある、仕組まれた、誘導的な

「時間を巻き戻すことはできない。西山さんの15年を無駄にしてはならない」といった裁判長。捜査の問題点などを指摘する異例の説諭も約10分間述べられました。

"We cannot rewind the time, but this case has raised a big question over how criminal justice works in Japan."